News

2026 Spring Series – April 19

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Spring 1 started the morning with gusts to 40+   Driving to the marina I seriously doubted we’d launch any boats.   A couple of minutes before the skippers meeting the rain began.  We had five Albacores that wanted to try to race, so we opted for a 1 hr. On shore post postponement.

Winds moderated, still raining, but at 11 the committee left the dock, and about 12:15 the first of 3 races started.   As predicted the rain stopped about noon.  I knew I wanted to be in by 3, as the winds were forecast to crank up again.  But that was enough of a window to get in 3 races.   At the second competitors meeting we discussed the lower course and off the landing lights, however opted for our regular Hains Point venue.

As you can the part of the day  we actually sailed winds were 10 to 13 with some gusts hitting 20.  “Sporty” for an Albacore.   One boat did flip, PRSA rescue boat (Mike Scardsville (Albacore) and Justin Harler (I-20) were right there, but not needed,   Other assistant today on the RC was John Hart (Lightning)

Again, early in the morning I figured the first day of the PRSA season was going to be a disaster.  In the end it was a ½ decent day for racing sailboats.

We do it again next Sunday, hope to see all there.

– Bob Astrove

Lasers, Regattas, News

2026 Capital City Regatta – Day 2

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Another gorgeous day to be sailing.  The wind swung around to the south and was in the low teens.   Rob (Albacore sailor from Toronto), Barney, Laura A., and Jim Schuster ran the races and kept on giving us races until the cut-off time was reached – six races for a total of 12 for the regatta.

Laura W. and Steen were back grilling and setting out food for our after racing chattering.

Day 2

News

2026 Capital City Regatta – Day 1

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It was a glorious day.  It started off very blustery but settled down later.  The race committee of Jim Schuster, Barney Harris, and Laura Albert gave the racers 6 fun races.

Afterwards, a team of volunteers headed by Laura Windecker and Steen Byskov gave the racers and race committee a great cookout dinner.

Day 1

News

25-26 ILCA Frostbite Final Scores and Summary!

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Hi laser sailors
The Frostbite results are in – please see the detailed results attached!
This winter wasn’t without ice and sewer challenges, but also many great days on the water. 30 of us sailed a total of 42 races. Filling RC spots went smoothly – thanks to all for taking your duty seriously.  As the season closes, let me thank:
  • James J for coaching us
  • Kaitlyn for advertising us on SM
  • Connor for scoring us and writing in SpinSheet (page 74) SpinSheet Mag
  • Tom for pulling Dave out of the water
  • Nabeel for keeping the skiff running and supporting our regattas
  • Barney for helping out at our regattas
  • Laura for looking into the river pollution before the health authorities woke up
…and all of you for showing up with an attitude and spirit that makes our frostbite the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
To help coordinate spring, summer and fall sailing, please respond to this Laser Sailing Survey. It is not anonymous – it’s an attempt to know who is interested in laser sailing at regattas as well as our spring and fall series.
Steen
Frostbite, Lasers, Frostbite, Lasers, Results

25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE #17

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It took 8 weeks of ice, e coli, and disadvantageous wind, but our fleet finally got back on the water Sunday for our first round of frostbite sailing since January. I was honored to share the course with Tom, Steen, Brian, and James Reilly Sunday for five excellent races. We had a consistent 8-12 knot breeze out of the ESE with oscillating puffs that reached into the mid-20s. The weather was cloudy but the air and water weren’t cold enough to give me hypothermia when I death rolled (more on that later).

Sunday was a tale of two kinds of races for me. My first race was a banger. The start took place in the tail end of a starboard-favored shift. I started closest to the RC boat and tacked to port immediately, gambling on the next shift being a lift for me and header for everyone else. I was, in a total rarity, right, and managed to win the race to the first windward mark. The rest of the course was short, so I played conservatively and held off a late charge from Steen to win. The lesson here is to do your homework before the start. Look around the course before the sequence, and if the shifts oscillate consistently, try timing out how long occurs between them. Sometimes you can make an educated guess, break from the fleet, and make out like a bandit.

The next two races showed how far I still have to come, even after 12 years (half my life!!) of Laser sailing. At the first windward mark of race 2, I tacked inside Steen and had to pinch to make the mark. A puff hit just as we rounded the mark and I couldn’t turn the boat down in time, leading to me fouling him. After the race, he asked if I was fully hiked out and moving back in the boat. I told him I was not, and he diagnosed that as part of why I was out of control. Next week I’m going to try out a new windward mark checklist of: vang off on the starboard approach to the mark, move back in the boat, full hike as I get to the buoy, and ease the main as I round down. Hopefully that will help with my control. My lack of boat handling skills showed in other scenarios during those two races. I hit Brian when I tried to bear off on port tack without easing my sail. I hit two marks. I deathrolled after a bad gybe. I was last twice in a row.

The moral here is that you can make all the right strategy calls, but when boats meet, you need to have the physical skills to escape those confrontations. Using your tiller isn’t enough in the Laser – you need to use your sails and your bodyweight, too.

Shoutout to Steen for winning the last three races and the day and to James Reilly for hanging tough with some of the best sailors in the fleet all afternoon. Thanks to the race committee duo of Sean Reilly and Dan Miller for helping us get five races off in some variable conditions. I hope to see a big fleet out next Sunday to warm up for the Capital City regatta (this is your reminder to sign up for that regatta now!!).

v/r

Connor Lothrop

NOTE: NEXT WEEK IS THE LAST WEEK OF THE FROSTBITE SERIES. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ISSUES WITH THE SCORING, PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE SCORER AT CONZO4468@GMAIL.COM ASAP.

Results: 25-26 PRSA FROSTBITE #17

Season Summary: 25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE SEASON SUMMARY

Totals Only: 25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE SEASON TOTALS #17

Lasers, Regattas, News

Capital City Regatta – April 11 & 12

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Registration is open!

DC, VA, and MD have assessed that the Potomac is safe for boating, so we are proceeding with plans to hold the regatta.  We will continue to monitor the water quality measurements and assessments made by those and other organizations and adjust plans accordingly.

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The regatta is open to ILCA7 (full-rig) and ILCA6 (radial rig) boats.  We will have two fleets and separate starts if we get 8 or more entries in each fleet.  Competitors can change their fleet choice up to the skipper’s meeting on Saturday.  Otherwise, the ILCA6s and ILCA7s will sail together as a single fleet.

We would really like to have two fleets, so please encourage your lightweight sailor friends to register.

News

PRSA Racing on the Potomac Suspended

2/13/2026

Many of you sailors may have heard of the massive sewage spill into the Potomac upstream from Georgetown. It is more or less contained, though repairs may involve additional sewage release(s). Repairs are reported to take 4-6 weeks. The level of pollution reported varies by reporting source.

In an abundance of caution faced with very limited current information, the  PRSA board has decided to suspend use of the committee boats, which also means the suspension of the Laser Frostbite Series. We will be reviewing this suspension as frequently as we get new and reassuring information. We regret the lack of sailing opportunities in the meantime.

We are basing our decision on the information provided in the Potomac Riverkeeper webinar on February 11th. During the webinar, the Riverkeeper, a watchdog group, shared data collected in partnership with the University of Maryland showing elevated E. coli levels near the spill site (up to ~4,000 times safe levels) and several miles downriver. They also found Staph and MRSA (antibiotic-resistant Staph) near the spill site and Staph at several stations downriver. As of last week, the area off WSM appears to be within EPA safe limits for E. coli.  

However, the Riverkeeper emphasized that the spill situation is very much in flux: additional releases are possible as DC Water continues to make repairs over the next 4-6 weeks, and there are many uncertainties related to how melting ice and increasing temperatures will impact water quality in the river, especially downstream. Critically, there are no public agencies regularly sampling the water (e.g., daily) at multiple locations downriver, nor are any state or federal entities (with the exception of MD) stepping up to issue public health advisories. Without trusted data and information available on a regular basis, it is impossible to be confident that our sailing area is safe on a given Sunday. This shouldn’t be the case, but unfortunately, it is.

There is much more to this story as noted in the attached summary, which also includes a link to the recording.

If you would like to support spill-related efforts, consider donating to the Riverkeeper and signing an advocacy letter pushing for health advisories from local agencies.

Ed Ryan

Secretary PRSA

Lasers, Frostbite, Lasers, Results

25-26 PRSA LASER FORSTBITE #9

Thanks to Connor for getting us a solid course! Definitely not easy given how shallow the water was.

The pin end was favored each race, so I prioritized starting there. Starts are one of my weaker areas, so I focused on getting a good line sight and working on timing. I was OCS once, but because I was at the pin I was able to go around and start on port. I only had to duck a boat or two and still managed to finish fourth. That clean lane made a huge difference and was a good reminder of how valuable clear air can be, even when things don’t go to plan off the line.

Off the start, my main focus was sailing in clear air. I didn’t have a wind indicator or compass, so I wasn’t great at catching shifts. Once I was ahead of boats, I shifted to covering the fleet rather than trying to sail the lifted tack or chase pressure. At times this meant sailing slightly headed, but the tradeoff was that I didn’t give up places, which felt like the right call in the context of the race.

Upwind, I couldn’t quite match boat speed with Laura or Steen. Even when I felt reasonably locked in, they were still able to roll or extend. That highlighted an area I need to keep working on, especially straight-line upwind speed.

Downwind, there were some small waves, and I focused on pumping and trying to surf whenever possible. The waves weren’t big, but there were enough opportunities to practice timing pumps with the wave pattern and getting the boat to surf.

Shallow water definitely came into play throughout the day. I ran aground more than once, which was frustrating but avoidable. By the last race, I was able to communicate with overlapped boats and ask for room to tack before the sandbar east of the committee boat.

All in all, a good but cold weekend.

Tyler

25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE #9 TOTALS

25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE SUMMARY

25-26 PRSA LASER FROSTBITE #9

Frostbite, Lasers, Frostbite, Lasers

2025-26 PRSA Laser Frostbite #7

Hi everyone,
Greetings from 1st place – we’re switching up the write-up person this week. I owe Farley a write-up, and even though Farley didn’t sail, I’m still happy to do it this round.
It was a great day! Sunny, not too cold, lots of boats on the water – and my absolute favorite conditions: super puffy and shifty. Thanks to Steen and Cuong for supporting us through five very solid races in spite of the variable conditions.
I’m going to focus on two main themes. First up: Navigating puffy/shifty.
I think I love puffy/shifty because it is inherently interesting, requires extra focus, and means super dynamic racing with greater potential to both lose and gain spots. Here is what worked for me:
  • It was critical to stay on the lifted tack, even if it meant losing a bit by staying in bad air or fighting to keep a lane (especially after the start). The alternative was to very likely lose not just a few boat lengths but dozens or more in a relatively short period of time by being on the headed tack, even briefly.
    • Related: it was critical to be ready to tack at a moment’s notice to stay on the lifted tack.
    • Also: sometimes the wind would decrease significantly, but not really shift very much. I resisted the urge to tack immediately during sudden lulls and waited a beat to see whether the change was indeed a header or just a shift in apparent wind that made it seem like a header.
  • I spent a LOT of time with my head out of the boat, especially looking upwind for puffs. While sailing upwind, I kept an eye out to be ready for a big ease/hike and to adjust my heading when the puff came; downwind, I wanted to make sure I was ready to add extra vang and bring in my sail a bit to better handle a strong gust and ultimately avoid flipping. It was also helpful to see where other boats were and how they were heading – for example, so I could better anticipate how the next shift would affect me.
  • I stayed mindful of shifting gears – especially for me, this meant releasing the cunningham during extended lulls.
In other words, these conditions were all about anticipation, focus, and being ready to take action (e.g., tack) at any time.
Second theme: the mental game.
To me, we spend most of our time talking about two main categories for improvement: setting controls/general boat handling and tactics/strategy, both of which are important. But I think the mental game is also super critical, and we tend to neglect discussion of it. One key observation from today:
  • Arrive with an intentional mindset. I didn’t have the best day during the Hangover Bowl, and I think it was partly b/c I felt overpowered and frustrated that I couldn’t adjust my controls very well due to the ice. But I also didn’t come with the right mindset, and it showed. Maybe in part due to this, I came to racing Sunday intentionally with more of a “I’m going to give this day everything I’ve got – and I’m going to fight for every boat/place” mentality — but also held lightly, in an experimental, “let’s try this and see” way —  and I think it really helped. I’m one of those people who just loves being on the water, and if I’m not feeling extra competitive, I still have fun – but I also like to do well. Today was a big reminder for me about the stories we tell ourselves and how shifting a mindset (or belief about ourselves) can make a big difference.
Here’s hoping that this milder weather continues. See many of you on Sunday!
Laura
Scores:
News

Hangover Regatta – 2026

It was cold – air below freezing and water just above freezing. And the wind was gusty and shifty from the northwest. Nevertheless, 12 sailors rigged and launched their ILCA dinghies.

The first thing they and the race committee noticed was that there was very little water. The race committee (Nabeel & Barney) had to hunt for an area with enough water for the centerboards. It wasn’t easy.

The second thing the sailors noticed was that their control lines seemed very slippery and the cleats were not holding. A sheet of water was freezing on all the control lines. The sailors adapted. If the vang cleat was not holding, one solution was to bring it back to the mainsheet cleat. Outhauls were left in whatever position they froze in.

The third thing the sailors had to contend with is very shifty breezes which not infrequently resulted in a capsize.

Despite the challenges the sailors did their best and nine completed the four races.

Three members of the Jacob family were there: James, Alex, and Erin. It was good to see them all.

Mark Sanford came down from Pennsylvania. Thanks, Mark.

After sailing and after the boats were put away, we fired up a vintage Coleman gas camp stove and heated up a gallon and a half of cider. Mount Gay rum was available to those who wanted a dollup.

The top two finishers – Alex and James – finished every race in those positions. It was a contest for third place and Skeen captured that.

Finally, thanks to Jacob D. and Dan M. for volunteering for RC, helping get the boats and marks ready to go, and helping sailors get launched.

2026-HangoverRegatta